The present disclosure relates generally to three dimensional (3D) content, and more particularly to a 3D content adjustment system for use when viewing 3D content.
3D entertainment includes the use of techniques that ‘fool’ or ‘trick’ a persons brain into interpreting three dimensions from images presented on a two dimensional (2D) screen. The most common technique is the presentation of slightly different images (i.e., the components of a stereoscopic image) to each eye. The slight differences between the left eye image and the right eye image causes the eyes to track the objects in the image by vergence, or the simultaneous movement of both eyes in opposite directions to obtain or maintain single binocular vision. However, the eyes also process distance by accommodation, where the eyes change their optical power to keep a target viewed object in focus. In the natural world, the brain signals from vergence and accommodation agree. But when viewing, for example, 3D video content, vergence and accommodation can conflict and lead to eye strain, fatigue, headaches, dizziness, and similar problems. This is because when the stereoscopic images are presented on a 2D screen, the focal distance for the eyes (viewed by accommodation) is generally fixed, while the vergence of the eyes varies with the content being displayed (e.g., as objects are “pushed” out of the screen toward the viewer or moved away from the viewer and further into the screen.)
The conflict of vergence/accommodation may be minimized during the creation of 3D video content when the amount of depth the 3D video content creators strive to provide to the viewers is set for a theater environment where the viewers sit relatively far from the screen. However, when this 3D video content is converted for home theater environments, 3D video content creators make certain assumptions about the viewers (e.g., average focal distance and interocular distance) and those assumptions are then used as fixed parameters that determine how the stereoscopic images are presented to the viewers. Because viewing conditions may vary greatly in home environments, viewers may find that 3D video content enjoyed in a theater environment may end up resulting in discomfort, eyestrain, headaches, and other negative effects when viewed in a home environment.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide improved system to present 3D content.